Saw a chart saying fluoride toothpaste beats mouthwash 3 to 1, but my hygienist told me the opposite | Dentistry Comparisons - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Saw a chart saying fluoride toothpaste beats mouthwash 3 to 1, but my hygienist told me the opposite
I was flipping through a dental care pamphlet in the waiting room at my dentist in Boise last month and it had a little bar chart showing that brushing with fluoride toothpaste does way more for cavity prevention than swishing with mouthwash. Like 3 to 1 in favor of the paste. But my hygienist, who I've seen for 8 years, told me straight up that a good fluoride rinse after brushing is just as important for the spots between my teeth. So now I'm stuck. Is the chart right and she's just old school, or does the rinse really pull its weight? I get that toothpaste has more fluoride per dose, but mouthwash gets into places the brush misses, right? My cousin is a dental assistant in Tacoma and she says it depends on whether the rinse has alcohol or not. Where do you all land on this, paste or rinse first?